Visitation Patterns Research Articles

Socio-demographic Characteristics and Customers' Visitation Pattern to Selected Ecolodges in Cross River State, Nigeria

Social demographic characteristics are critical factors that bolster visitation pattern in relation to choice of destination and increase marketability in today's hospitality industry. This is a serious consideration for undertaken this study on the influence of demographic factors on visitation pattern among tourists to selected ecolodges in Cross River State Nigeria. The survey was conducted in Cross River National Park and Obudu Mountain Resorts between December 2019 and November 2020. Convenience sampling technique was adopted to administer 635 structured questionnaires at both locations. The findings revealed information on social demographic characteristics of the respondents and visitation pattern to the selected destinations. Regression result indicated that income and age are significant socio-demographic variables predicted variation in customers’ visitation pattern. Designing of marketing strategies for ecolodge products/services based on the available information on social demographic factors of the visitors were canvassed for policy implementation.

Urban nature exposure in the time of COVID-19: associations between visitation patterns, mental health and perceived value

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed challenges for people worldwide experiencing restrictions and social isolation. The present study focuses on the exploration of the health benefits from visits to urban green (UGS) and urban blue spaces (UBS) during the third wave of COVID-19, as well as practices and perceptions towards urban nature in pre- and post-lockdown Greece. METHODS: In February 2021 we conducted an online survey among 925 participants (18-65 years old, 30% male) on the engagement with UGS and UBS (proximity, ease of access, frequency, duration, motivation and types of UGS/UBS visited, as well as view of UGS and UBS from home) pre- and post-lockdown. Anxiety and depression were measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) and subjective questions were used to determine the value participants attach to urban nature. RESULTS:Lockdown measures resulted in a reduction of visitation and availability of different types of UGS and UBS, while the time spent in nature was either unchanged or slightly increased. The main motivation for using urban nature was walking and relaxing both pre- and post-lockdown. Participants’ wellbeing was negatively affected during lockdown; however, access and view of UGS and/or UBS were perceived as helpful for coping with negative emotions, while visitation was associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety. The presence of UGS and/or UBS within the urban fabric was perceived as highly important by 89% of participants, who attached a higher value to urban nature after having experienced social isolation at home. Finally, a clear preference for continuing visiting UGS and UBS after the lifting of the lockdown was observed. CONCLUSIONS:Our findings show the positive association between UGS and/or UBS exposure and mental health improvement in times of social isolation, highlighting the need to integrate ecosystem services into urban design. KEYWORDS: built environment, green space, blue space, COVID-19, mental health outcomes

Using Mobile Device Data to Track the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Spatiotemporal Patterns of National Park Visitation

Effective quantification of visitation is important for understanding many impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on national parks and other protected areas. In this study, we mapped and analyzed the spatiotemporal patterns of visitation for six national parks in the western U.S., taking advantage of large mobility records sampled from mobile devices and released by SafeGraph as part of their Social Distancing Metric dataset. Based on comparisons with visitation statistics released by the U.S. National Park Service, our results confirmed that mobility records from digital devices can effectively capture park visitation patterns but with much finer spatiotemporal granularity. In general, triggers of visitation changes corresponded well with the parks’ management responses to COVID-19, with all six parks showing dramatic decreases in the number of visitors (compared to 2019) beginning in March 2020 and continuing through April and May. As restrictions were eased to promote access to the parks and the benefits associated with outdoor recreation, visitation in 2020 approached or even passed that from 2019 by late summer or early autumn at most of the parks. The results also revealed that parks initially saw the greatest increases in visitation after reopening originating from nearby states, with visitorship coming from a broader range of states as time passed. Our study highlights the capability of mobility data for providing spatiotemporally explicit knowledge of place visitation.

Perceptions of spatial patterns of visitors in urban green spaces for the sustainability of smart city

Urban green spaces are really vital for the well-being of human in urban areas. In urban planning for green space site selection, the study of the bond among the usage of green spaces and their categories that really influence their use can provide useful references. A spatial and temporal research on the allocation of visitors in 157 green areas was carried out in Shanghai to know which green spaces are denser or crowdsourced by utilizing social media big data. We evaluated the association with statistical testing and Kernel Density Estimation among the spatial pattern of the visitor spread in urban green areas. We used check-in data from social media to test this study comparing the number of humans who visit various green parks. We have classified green areas into various categories and our main findings are focused on their characteristics: (1) famous category of green parks according to visitors’ preferences, (2) Differences in the number of visitors by daytime, and (3) crowdsourced area based upon number of check-ins. The main aim of this article is to remind policy makers of the value of providing local people access to green areas and to empower cities with a framework for contacting green parks with the purpose of increasing the comfort of urban people with the architecture of smart city.

Molecular assays of pollen use consistently reflect pollinator visitation patterns in a system of flowering plants.

Determining how pollinators visit plants vs. how they carry and transfer pollen is an ongoing project in pollination ecology. The current tools for identifying the pollens that bees carry have different strengths and weaknesses when used for ecological inference. In this study we use three methods to better understand a system of congeneric, coflowering plants in the genus Clarkia and their bee pollinators: observations of plant-pollinator contact in the field, and two different molecular methods to estimate the relative abundance of each Clarkia pollen in samples collected from pollinators. We use these methods to investigate if observations of plant-pollinator contact in the field correspond to the pollen bees carry; if individual bees carry Clarkia pollens in predictable ways, based on previous knowledge of their foraging behaviors; and how the three approaches differ for understanding plant-pollinator interactions. We find that observations of plant-pollinator contact are generally predictive of the pollens that bees carry while foraging, and network topologies using the three different methods are statistically indistinguishable from each other. Results from molecular pollen analysis also show that while bees can carry multiple species of Clarkia at the same time, they often carry one species of pollen. Our work contributes to the growing body of literature aimed at resolving how pollinators use floral resources. We suggest our novel relative amplicon quantification method as another tool in the developing molecular ecology and pollination biology toolbox.

The impact of dengue illness on social distancing and caregiving behavior.

BackgroundHuman mobility among residential locations can drive dengue virus (DENV) transmission dynamics. Recently, it was shown that individuals with symptomatic DENV infection exhibit significant changes in their mobility patterns, spending more time at home during illness. This change in mobility is predicted to increase the risk of acquiring infection for those living with or visiting the ill individual. It has yet to be considered, however, whether social contacts are also changing their mobility, either by socially distancing themselves from the infectious individual or increasing contact to help care for them. Social, or physical, distancing and caregiving could have diverse yet important impacts on DENV transmission dynamics; therefore, it is necessary to better understand the nature and frequency of these behaviors including their effect on mobility.Methodology and principal findingsThrough community-based febrile illness surveillance and RT-PCR infection confirmation, 67 DENV positive (DENV+) residents were identified in the city of Iquitos, Peru. Using retrospective interviews, data were collected on visitors and home-based care received during the illness. While 15% of participants lost visitors during their illness, 22% gained visitors; overall, 32% of all individuals (particularly females) received visitors while symptomatic. Caregiving was common (90%), particularly caring by housemates (91%) and caring for children (98%). Twenty-eight percent of caregivers changed their behavior enough to have their work (and, likely, mobility patterns) affected. This was significantly more likely when caring for individuals with low “health-related quality of well-being” during illness (Fisher’s Exact, p = 0.01).Conclusions/SignificanceOur study demonstrates that social contacts of individuals with dengue modify their patterns of visitation and caregiving. The observed mobility changes could impact a susceptible individual’s exposure to virus or a presymptomatic/clinically inapparent individual’s contribution to onward transmission. Accounting for changes in social contact mobility is imperative in order to get a more accurate understanding of DENV transmission.

Policy and Environmental Predictors of Park Visits During the First Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Getting Out While Staying in

The COVID-19 pandemic may have altered visitation patterns to parks, with potential effects on human health. Little is known about park use early in the pandemic, how park availability influenced use, and whether park visits accelerated COVID-19 spread. Using weekly cell phone location data for 620 U.S. counties, we show park visits decreased by an average 26% between March 15 and May 9, 2020. Net of weekly trends, park visits were 2.2% lower when stay-at-home orders were in effect, yet increased by 8.4% with school closures and 4.4% with business closures. Park visits decreased less during the pandemic in counties where park availability was high. Levels of park visits were not associated with COVID-19 growth rate or incidence in the following weeks. Thus, parks served as recreation and leisure outlets when schools and businesses closed, especially where parks were more available, with no evidence of park use increasing COVID-19 spread.

Environmental drivers of reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) visitation patterns to key aggregation habitats in the Maldives.

A detailed understanding of the dynamics of small-scale (10s km) habitat use by the reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) in the Maldives Archipelago is required to develop an effective national conservation management plan for this wide-ranging species. Here, a combination of photo-ID sightings data and acoustic telemetry were used to investigate both long-term M. alfredi visitation trends and small-scale movement patterns to key habitats on the eastern side of Baa Atoll (Hanifaru Bay feeding area, Dhigu Thila multifunctional site, and Nelivaru Thila cleaning station). All tagged and most of the sighted M. alfredi exhibited high affinity to the eastern side of Baa Atoll, where 99% of detections occurred, and 69% of individuals were re-sighted in multiple years. Sightings data suggests that visitation patterns may be associated with differences in habitat use by sex and maturity status. Boosted regression trees indicated that tag detection probability at Hanifaru Bay increased with increased westerly wind speed (>5ms-1) during the day, close to a new and full moon just after high tide, and when the tidal range was low. Interaction effects between predictors suggest that wind-driven oceanographic processes, such as Langmuir Circulation, maybe working to increase zooplankton concentration at this location. Tag detection probability increased at Dhigu Thila under similar conditions. At Nelivaru Thila, it increased at lower wind speeds (<5ms-1), close to a full moon, three hours after high tide. These results suggest that M. alfredi may utilise cleaning stations during the day when environmental conditions are not suitable for feeding. There was a high level of connectivity between these three locations, which suggests they form part of a network of key habitats that provide essential services to M. alfredi locally. Future conservation efforts should focus on identifying all areas of key habitat use for this species within the Maldives; applying strict protective measures to these sites and any connecting migration corridors which link them.

Expenditure Patterns of Foreign Resident Visitors and Foreign Tourist Visitors at a Day-Trip Nature-Based Destination

In this study, we examined the difference in expenditure patterns between foreign resident visitors and foreign tourist visitors at a nature-based destination. We also examined the effects of sociodemographic profiles, travel characteristics, and perceived importance on expenditure patterns during off-peak and peak seasons. Generally, the results revealed low average daily expenditure compared with other nature-based destinations. Whereas no differences were observed during the off-peak season, the sociodemographic characteristics, travel characteristics, perceived importance, and expenditure pattern differed between foreign resident and foreign tourist visitors during the peak season. These results suggest that patterns of expenditure and perceived importance of foreign visitors are influenced by the seasonality of a nature-based destination. On the other hand, foreign resident visitors and foreign tourist visitors differ in their characteristics, perceived importance of destination attributes, and expenditure patterns, particularly during the peak season. Longer periods of residence in the host country might result in foreign resident visitors becoming local visitors. Our findings contribute to practical knowledge of the segmentation of foreign visitors at nature-based destinations.

Identifying and Mapping Groups of Protected Area Visitors by Environmental Awareness

Protected areas worldwide receive billions of visitors annually. The positive impact of nature on health and wellbeing, in addition to providing opportunities for cultural activities such as recreation and aesthetic appreciation, is well documented. Management to reduce negative impacts to biodiversity and conservation aims whilst providing amenities and access to visitors is important. Understanding environmental awareness of visitors and their on-site spatial patterns can assist in making effective management decisions within often constrained resources. However, there is a lack of strategies for site-specific identification and predictive mapping of visitors by environmental awareness. Here, we demonstrate a method to map on-site visitation by latent groups of visitors based on their environmental awareness of on-site issues. On-site surveys and participatory mapping were used to collect data on environmental awareness on bird nesting and spatial visitation patterns in an upland moor in northern England. Latent class analysis (LCA), a structural equation model, was used to discover underlying groups of environmental awareness, with random forest (RF) modelling, a machine learning technique, using a range of on-site predictors (bioclimatic, land cover, elevation, viewshed, and proximity to paths and freshwater) to predict and map visitation across the site by each group. Visitors were segmented into ‘aware’ and ‘ambiguous’ groups and their potential spatial visitation patterns mapped. Our results demonstrate the ability to uncover groups of users by environmental awareness and map their potential visitation across a site using a variety of on-site predictors. Spatial understanding of the movement patterns of differently environmentally aware groups of visitors can assist in efficient targeting of conservation education endeavours (i.e., signage, positioning of staff, monitoring programmes, etc.), therefore maximising their efficacy. Furthermore, we anticipate this method will be of importance to environmental managers and educators when deploying limited resources.

“Imported Buddhism” or “Co-Creation”? Buddhist Cultural Heritage and Sustainability of Tourism at the World Heritage Site of Lumbini, Nepal

Lumbini—the birthplace of Buddha—was declared a World Heritage Site (WHS) in 1997. This recognition came following sustained efforts by many international organizations and the UN-led master plan that was prepared in the 1970s. Almost 50 years in the making, the Lumbini sacred precinct (WHS) is still a work in progress. Based on the fieldwork conducted in December 2019, this paper examines international and domestic visitation patterns and the complexities of tourism management in Lumbini, and explores the challenges it faces in attracting an international community of Buddhist followers and those interested in Buddhist heritage. Situated amidst a rural hinterland comprising non-Buddhist populations, the Lumbini Sacred Garden master plan covers an area of about 4.5 km2. It has a special “monastic zone” for the construction of 39 international monasteries (13 plots for followers of Theravada and 29 plots for Mahayana monasteries) of which 13 have been built (notable are the Thai, Japanese, Burmese, Sri Lankan, Chinese, Bhutanese, Korean, and European monasteries). The unique architectural styles and following of rituals and cultural practices traditional to the sponsoring native country make these international monasteries into “attractions” for foreign and domestic tourists. This mixing pot of Buddhist cultural heritage can be understood using the conceptual approach of co-creation. However, in practical terms, it is perceived as “imported Buddhism”, based on the resources (both tangible and intangible) that international communities bring to Lumbini. The active role of international monasteries constrains opportunities for the participation of local businesses in the religious tourism economy. Moreover, the limited opportunities for interpretation of this co-created heritage reinforces a sense of alienation for the local community, and poses challenges for the sustainability of tourism and the vitality of Lumbini as a WHS.

Comparing established visitor monitoring approaches with triggered trail camera images and machine learning based computer vision

The management of protected areas and other recreational landscapes is subject to a variety of challenges. One aspect hereof, visitor monitoring, is crucial for many management and valuation tasks of ecosystem services. Its core data are visitor numbers which are costly to estimate in absence of entry fees for protected areas or recreational landscapes. Camera-based approaches have the potential to be both, accurate and deliver comprehensive data about visitor numbers, types and activities. So far, camera-based visitor monitoring is, however, costly due to time consuming manual image evaluation. To overcome this limitation, we deployed a convolutional neural network and compared its hourly counts against existing visitor counting methods such as manual in-situ counting, a pressure sensor, and manual camera image evaluations. Our study is the first one to implement, and explicitly assess the performance of a computer vision approach for visitor-monitoring. The results showed that the convolutional neural network derived comparable visitor numbers to the other visitor counting approaches regarding visitation patterns and numbers of visits. Further, our approach also allowed for counting dogs and recreational equipment such as backpacks and bicycles in automatic manner. We thus conclude that it is a fast and reliable method that could be used in protected areas as well as in a much wider array of visitor counting settings in other recreational landscapes. Managers of protected and recreational areas could benefit from our comparisons of convolutional neural network camera image evaluations with existing visitor counting approaches as: • Time-consuming manual image evaluation can be replaced by computer vision approaches based on convolutional neural networks (40 h to manually analyze more than 13,000 images by one expert vs. 10 h to do it automatically in the background). • In contrast to pressure sensors, this approach also allows to differentiate visitor types and activities (dog-walking, cycling, etc.) at comparably low-costs. • Future efforts should concentrate on training specific convolutional neural networks dedicated to visitor monitoring in recreational settings which could process imagery at real-time in the field using single-board computers. • Nevertheless, this approach is prone to the usual disadvantages of camera-based visitor monitoring (risks of theft, vandalism, malfunctioning; data security issues), which need to be considered when setting up the device.

Customers Behaviour and Tourist Attraction Factors of the Bestari Jaya Night Market

This research explored the customers’ characteristics, and their visitation and spending patterns at the Bestari Jaya Night Market in the district of Kuala Selangor. It also looked into the night market environment and examined the factors that contributed towards the liveliness of the night market so as to ascertain if it would be attractive to both customers and tourists to visit. The findings indicated that the Bestari Jaya night market environment had a medium to low impact since the night market was of average size, with medium traders’ and customers’ density and diversity, and that, on average the customers spend only about 35 minutes. They would usually go directly to the stalls where they had planned to get their supplies which was mainly cooked food. Factors that could attract tourists would be the location of the night market since it was situated close to other popular and established tourist attraction sites, that the safety and security of the area is assured by the local authority, the cleanliness and wholesomeness of the cooked food, and that the prices of items were reasonable. Additionally, the tourists could, in a short time, be able to catch a glimpse of the local culture and taste the local cuisine. The Bestari Jaya night market operated only on Fridays, but every evening there would be at least one night market that would be operating in the Kuala Selangor and Sabak Bernam districts. Thus, tourists would be able to visit the night market on any chosen evening.

Spatiotemporal sharing and partitioning of scent‐marking sites by cheetahs and leopards in north‐central Namibia

AbstractScent‐marking sites may facilitate interspecific information gathering and could help to minimise the risk of encounter with interspecific competitors. Recent evidence from South Africa shows that cheetahs avoid dominant predators at scent‐marking sites, which may delay or inhibit intraspecific communication in cheetahs. However, little is known on whether this pattern of avoidance occurs elsewhere in the cheetah's range. We analysed a 9‐year camera trap data set from north‐central Namibia to explore interspecific use of marking sites by cheetahs and leopards. We documented frequent sharing of marking sites, which was likely facilitated through temporal segregation and by availability of alternative sites that were species‐specific. We did not identify a stronger avoidance response of cheetahs to leopards than to conspecifics, suggesting that delayed communication by cheetahs resulting from predator avoidance may be limited in our study area. Seasonality affected patterns of marking site visitation, which may be attributed to behavioural changes in relation to reproduction or resource availability, or to differential detectability of olfactory cues among seasons. We recommend further research to better understand carnivore scent‐marking, including behavioural responses to olfactory cues and environmental conditions, as well as intra‐ and interpopulation differences.

Visitors’ Behavioral Patterns and the Interactive Models at the Penang House of Music, Malaysia

As a world-class tourist destination, Penang or "The Pearl of Orient" is a very widely known state in Malaysia and abroad, where there are various notable attractions available in this state such as dazzling beaches, heritage landmarks, delightful street food, and several other. Nonetheless, there are several Malaysians who do not realize that there is a considerable number of interactive museums in the state of Penang. The interactive museums in Penang also provide top-notch and first-class collections and facilities that could lure local visitors and tourists from all over the world. Besides the city-state of Kuala Lumpur and Malacca which is becoming the center of attraction for tourists, Penang is another state that receives lots of tourists from numerous parts of the world. Through observation, tourists visit Malaysia, not only for their interest in Malaysian culture, heritage as well as foods but tourists from different parts of the world nowadays are heading towards museums for, they realize that museums offer many things they could learn from. In discussing museums, Penang offers museums of many kinds. The Penang House of Music, as an example, is Penang's most well-known interactive museum which features an unparalleled variety of interactive models. This interactive museum is one of the well-received museums in Penang by both local visitors and tourists. The interactive models introduced at the Penang House of Music are among the finest in Penang, which is discussed in this article. As one of the World Heritage Sites, the city of Georgetown, the capital of Penang, is believed to consist of the greatest number of interactive museums in Malaysia, which have the potential to expand aggressively. Other than discussing models of interactive museums, this article also analyzes the behavioral pattern of the visitors at the Penang House of Music, as these topics are linked to each other. This is because the models at the interactive museums influence the behavioral pattern of visitors in terms of attendance at the museums regardless of age, educational background plus the purpose of visit. The central issue in this paper will however emphasize more on the interactive models to relate to the museum’s effort in attracting more returners.

COVID-19 and its impact on visitation and management at US national parks

PurposeNational Park Service (NPS) units generate a significant economic impact for states and local gateway communities across the USA. Utah is home to 13 NPS units with visitation accounting for 18% of the state's US$9.75bn tourism economy in 2018. Twelve NPS units, including five national parks, are located in Southern Utah, driving an economy that is heavily dependent on tourism. This paper examines the challenges and opportunities for visits to national parks post-COVID-19, generally and in the specific context of Southern Utah. Although the assumption is that visits to national parks will recover quickly, this paper will critically examine how visitation may change and what adaptive measures and alternative forms of unit management may be necessary.Design/methodology/approachBy adopting a holistic-inductive paradigm, this paper utilizes a descriptive case study approach. Data were collected across a variety of mediums focusing on interviews with key stakeholders in and around Southern Utah.FindingsThe results from this study highlight the various challenges faced in parks and gateway communities vis-à-vis changing patterns of visitation, adaptive measures and alternative forms of unit management necessary due to COVID-19 and their impact on the future management and marketing of national parks for touristic purposes.Originality/valueThis paper examines the impacts of COVID-19 on an often-neglected yet significant area within tourism, yielding implications for industry, visitors and destination communities.

Fine-scale oceanographic drivers of reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) visitation patterns at a feeding aggregation site.

Globally, reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) are in decline and are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and disturbance at aggregation sites. Here, passive acoustic telemetry and a suite of advanced oceanographic technologies were used for the first time to investigate the fine‐scale (5‐min) influence of oceanographic drivers on the visitation patterns of 19 tagged M. alfredi to a feeding aggregation site at Egmont Atoll in the Chagos Archipelago. Boosted regression trees indicate that tag detection probability increased with the intrusion of cold‐water bores propagating up the atoll slope through the narrow lagoon inlet during flood tide, potentially transporting zooplankton from the thermocline. Tag detection probability also increased with warmer near‐surface temperature close to low tide, with near‐surface currents flowing offshore, and with high levels of backscatter (a proxy of zooplankton biomass). These combinations of processes support the proposition that zooplankton carried from the thermocline into the lagoon during the flood may be pumped back out through the narrow inlet during an ebb tide. These conditions provide temporally limited feeding opportunities for M. alfredi, which are tied on the tides. Results also provide some evidence of the presence of Langmuir Circulation, which transports and concentrates zooplankton, and may partly explain why M. alfredi occasionally remained at the feeding location for longer than that two hours. Identification of these correlations provides unique insight into the dynamic synthesis of fine‐scale oceanographic processes which are likely to influence the foraging ecology of M. alfredi at Egmont Atoll, and elsewhere throughout their range.

Temporal and spatial assessment of urban park visits from multiple social media data sets: A case study of Shanghai, China

To inform ways of developing urban parks in rapidly urbanizing metropolitans, park use patterns need be explained and understood. The objective of this study was to assess urban park visitation in temporal and spatial domains using multiple social media data (SMD) sources. It focused on 300 urban parks in Shanghai, quantified their visit number and intensity, and characterized park visitation patterns for the city. The findings showed that park visit patterns in Shanghai had uneven spatial and temporal distribution. In general, people preferred parks in downtown districts in space and preferred visiting parks in the season of spring and on non-workdays temporally. Spatio-temporally, parks in downtown have higher visitation at all seasons and days, especially for non-workdays. Locating parks with good star ratings outside downtown may not decrease attraction but reduce the downtown congestion. Moreover, this study compared park visitation assessing performances among different SMDs. The similarities and differences in park visit patterns represented by different SMDs indicated that using multiple SMD sources may help obtain more comprehensive and systematic results and achieve better understanding of park usage. Through this study, methods of using SMD were also developed to assess urban park visitation patterns in temporal and spatial domains to achieve more comprehensive and systematic results. The results inferred explanations and advices for more reasonable park distribution regulation and better green space management and urban development, and would offer a starting place for urban planners, landscape designers, and policy-makers.

Family Visitation Patterns during Incarceration in Denmark

While qualitative evidence has highlighted psychological benefits of visitation during incarceration, and quantitative evidence has linked visitation to better post-release outcomes for inmates, we know little about heterogeneity in visitation patterns and the factors shaping them. Using Danish administrative data on inmates incarcerated at least a year between 2004 and 2014 ( N = 5,441), we first examine average frequency and duration of family visits across the first year of incarceration and then describe five distinct visitation patterns using latent class analysis. Finally, we investigate what predicts visitation patterns.The findings highlight that (a) there is substantial heterogeneity in the patterns of family visitation and (b) both individual-level and institution-level factors partially predict this heterogeneity. Parenthood, high pre-incarceration income, and long sentences were associated with high levels of visitation and being placed far from home and transferred between facilities were associated with a higher risk of receiving low or decreasing levels of visitation.

Using social media to measure and map visitation to public lands in Utah

We used nine years of geotagged social media posts uploaded to Flickr and Panoramio to investigate the ability of social media to measure and map spatial patterns in visitation to national parks, national forests, and state parks in Utah, USA. Our analysis shows support for the use of geotagged social media to supplement data collected through traditional means (e.g., on-site counts of visitors) as part of visitor use monitoring protocols. However, we did observe notable differences in the amount of variance in reported visitation explained by geotagged social media. Social media posts made within national parks and national forests captured substantially more of the variation in reported visitation relative to posts made within state parks. We attribute this to a variety of factors including the unique types of sites managed within the state park system, lower levels of visitation relative to national parks and forests within the state, and the method by which the state estimates visitation. We use exploratory spatial analyses to investigate spatial patterns of visitation across public lands. The analysis, performed at three different spatial scales (statewide, region, and county) illustrate the diversity of ways in which geotagged social media can inform outdoor recreation and tourism planning efforts and supplement traditional methods of measuring visitation. Our investigation demonstrates how social media can serve as a useful tool to inform proactive planning and management efforts.